Fangirls, we’re going to get very personal today, because today we’re talking about tampons. Awhile back, on twitter, Erika Moen worked with some other tweeps to use the #PeriodSex. On it, users were supposed to talk about their experiences having sex while on their period, but I saw it as a place to learn about what people thought of period cups and the like. Eventually, I was recommended OB Tampons.

I was recommended these as a way to get to know my body a bit better, and to understand a bit what putting in a period cup felt like. OB Tampons are applicator free tampons. This means that there is no plastic do-hickey that you use to put it inside of your body.

At first I was super nervous. I kept thinking that it was a specialty item that had to be ordered, so my brain kept saying “we’ll order it some other time.” Honestly, who wants to pay shipping on tampons anyways? Not this Fangirl. But when I was running low on tampons, I went to the store, and behold, there were OB Tampons on the shelf directly next to the brand I usually use! Since it was obviously fate, I grabbed a box and went on my merry way.

Neat thing I learned about OB Tampons right off the bat; there are over twice as many tampons in a box as my regular brand, for only $2 more. Now, feminine products are pricey. Fanboys, you don’t have to deal with this nearly as much as Fangirls do, but if your Fangirl ever needs you to pick some up for her, these weird pieces of cotton we plug ourselves with are rather expensive. A neat trick I have been told by home economics teachers and my mum; when you’re looking at the prices of two items, look at the bulk price to the left of the per item price. It’s usually highlighted in orange. That’s a great way to find out which item is more bang for your buck. OB Tampons were $16.48 per 100 count ($6.59 for a box of 40), while U by Kotex Clicks were $26.06 per 100 count ($4.69 for a box of 18). $10 for some plastic applicators? Nope. The price sealed the deal, and I hadn’t even tested them out yet, Fangirls.

So I brought them home, and opened up the box, excited, as if it were a Christmas present. I had never used such a different device for a feminine product before, so I was a bit pumped. When it came time, I followed the instructions, and used an OB Tampon. The instructions are very clear and helpful, which made getting into the swing of using OB a breeze.

To use an OB Tampon; make sure your hands are very clean, unwrap the tampon (they’re individually wrapped in clear plastic), pull at the removal cord (it suggests pulling it to the left and right until there is a bit of a base to the tampon), place your first finger on the base, insert the tampon, and continue like normal. The instructions did suggest standing with a foot on the tub or squatting, to make the insertion easier, and I found that to be very accurate. It was way easier than I expected!

Fangirls, I super recommend checking out OB Tampons. They’re more cost efficient, and significantly better for the environment (no applicator means less that goes into a dump). The packaging and ideas are simple, but it works incredibly well. I will continue to purchase OB Tampons instead of going back to Kotex, and I hope to eventually get a period cup, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Keep your bodies happy and healthy, Fangirls!

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